Scottish Water fails on targets

Scottish Water said extra resources were in place to reduce leakage

Scottish Water has not done enough to reduce leakage and has been slow to make improvements to drinking water, according to the water regulator.

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) said it was monitoring the situation carefully.

Last year, Scottish Water reduced waste from leakage from more than a billion litres a day to 924 million litres, but this was still well above its target.

The company said it was on course to meet this year's targets.

WICS chairman Sir Iain Byatt said practical action was required to tackle the issue.

"We have expressed to Scottish Water our concern about the rate at which projects are being submitted for sign-off, as this will result in customers having to wait longer for the benefits promised to them," he said.

"Leakage levels also continue to be higher than the pragmatic targets we set in 2006."

The issue of leakage in Scotland wasn't an issue that was taken seriously in previous years Geoff Aitkenhead Scottish Water

Sir Iain Byatt added that it would be a challenge for Scottish Water for finish on-time improvements scheduled for completion by March 2010.

However, he stressed that customers would not have to pay any more as a result of shortfalls in Scottish Water's performance.

Scottish Water said extra resources were in place to reduce leakage and other issues were also being addressed.

The company said it had made great progress last year with benefits for customers and the environment.

Geoff Aitkenhead, Scottish Water's asset management director, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "The issue of leakage in Scotland wasn't an issue that was taken seriously in previous years.

"In the period from 2006 to 2008 we were busy installing meters all over Scotland to measure where the leakage problems were at their worst.

"Since then we've been taking action and we are now on top of the issue."

Ballot papers

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Scottish Water employees have been sent ballot papers by Unison on whether to reject a pay deal.

The ballot asks members to vote for both strike action, and action short of a strike.

Unison regional organiser Dougie Black said Scottish Water had claimed it was "acting at the behest of the Scottish Government who want to restrict public sector increases to 2% in line with Westminster".

He said: "They have an opportunity while the ballot takes place to convince the government to untie their hands."

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